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Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell team up once again to produce Far-Flung Adventures - Fergus Crane. This talented twosome collaborated on the bestselling children's action-adventure series Edge Chronicles;
well-known illustrator Chris Riddell has worked on numerous children’s books and has been successful as a political cartoonist as well. Paul Stewart, a well-educated author, has written over four dozen books.
Their experience certainly shows in their latest action/fantasy/adventure story, Fergus Crane. From the beginning, something
is just not right with the Betty-Jeanne, a school that unexpectedly sails into the small seaside town where nine-year-old Fergus Crane resides with his mother. Few know where the ship came from, and fewer know why it arrived. But there it
is, offering free schooling. Some of the townspeople send
their children there, though the courses are a little unusual, to save some money.
Mrs. Crane works as a baker, and the story is filled with smells and teasing tales of steaming fresh Florentines and other baked deserts. (YUM!) Poor Mrs. Crane is a single mother
struggling with sadness over Fergus’s missing father. Nothing much ever happens in this tiny town; Fergus knows
the occupants of every building he passes on his way to school. Strangely enough, a wonderful flying box that carries mysterious messages visits Fergus. The very next day, he is warned by the ship’s parrot to never return to school. Curious but not overly concerned, Fergus rushes home only to be awoken by a gleaming silver flying-horse machine.
Meeting Uncle Theo, a businessmen and a genius inventor who is confined to a wheelchair, and witnessing his technologically advanced machinery is only a small part of the wild adventure that awaits Fergus. Helped by Uncle Theo and their penguin friends Bill, Finn and Jackson, Fergus must journey to the Emerald Sea to save his friends from a ship of treasure-crazed pirates.
The final dozen or so pages contain scrapbook entries made by one of the characters, followed by unique author and illustrator biographies. Riddell’s black-and-white pen and ink illustrations are certainly the stand-out feature of Fergus Crane, keeping reader interest alive
throughtout the sometimes dry text. Chris Riddell masterfully illustrates fun and amusing faces, expressions, and scenes of action.
David Fickling Books is a small but popular division of Random House that produces children’s books within the UK. Map lovers will treasure this book, as there are detailed maps to follow along during the story, and a free pullout map is also provided. Educators for grades one through five will enjoy reading this story in the classroom, as well.
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Far-Flung Adventures: Fergus Crane